Three-dimensional dislay objects, such as reliefs and other three-dimensional works of art, sometimes need a protective enclosure to prevent damage to the sculptured surface thereof. A conventional frame assembly, which has a transparent glass front plate firmly in contact with the front surface of the artwork, may be satisfactory for most two-dimensional drawings but unacceptable for certain kinds of fragile reliefs which are liable to be crushed or otherwise damaged by contact with the front plate.
One example of such an artwork is a paper sculpture, a relatively new art form in which papier mache or similar material is congealed in the form of a thick sheet having various three-dimensional artistic representations (e.g. human figures) sculptured upon the front surface thereof. If such a work is framed and mounted in the manner appropriate for a flat drawing, the glass front plate will distort, and possibly damage, the three-dimensional features. The same problem can arise with oil paintings employing especially thick paint areas, or other types of art having three-dimensional features.
Such works need a deep enclosure which puts a safe distance between the artwork and the front plate of the enclosure; and they may also need some degree of protection from atmospheric contaminants such as dust, dirt, chemical pollutants, molds, etc. Paper sculptures, being made of organic material, are particularly vulnerable to such ubiquitous hazards. Even two-dimensional works may benefit if protected in this manner.
The invention, accordingly, provides a deep enclosure having a front plate which stands off from the artwork, the enclosure entirely surrounding and to some extent sealing the artwork in a clean atmosphere. The enclosure conveniently may be made-to-measure for each individual paper sculpture, using readily available conventional frame members. Although such frame members are designed especially for use with conventional flat framing techniques, one of the features of this invention permits them to be used in assembling a much deeper enclosure suitable for three-dimensional works as well as for flat drawings.
Then there is the problem of mounting a paper sculpture within such an enclosure. It is undesirable to use screws or other fasteners of the type which penetrate the sculpture, and which might even extend through it and thus be visible upon the front surface thereof. Glueing the back of the paper sculpture directly to a mounting device is also unsatisfactory. A sculpture mounted in that fashion is likely to be damaged if it should become necessary to remove it from its mount. In addition, paper sculptures typically have quite rough and uneven rear surfaces, owing to the nature of the process by which they they are made. As a result, difficulty is encountered in making them adhere to a flat, rigid surface.
The present invention overcomes these problems by using spacers of different thicknesses to accommodate the uneven rear surface of the artwork; and by securing the artwork to the spacers by means of textile fastener pads, e.g. Velcro brand material, since these are flexible and can therefore be easily bonded to a rough, uneven surface. This type of fastener also permits the paper sculpture to be demounted without damage, simply by disengaging two Velcro pads from each other.
The invention thus briefly summarized will now be described in detail in connection with the following drawings: